Top Ranked Programs
Northern Illinois University's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 20% of degree output — a concentration that shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. Education represents 7% of graduates and Engineering accounts for 6%, rounding out a portfolio tilted toward applied-professional fields. Across 49 programs serving roughly 2,839 students annually, 41 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. Computer Science is the program that combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings, making it the institution's highest aggregate-return major. Psychology, General is the largest program by graduates (193 annually), and Azimuth ranks it #183 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among the highest-earning programs, Computer Science leads with median earnings of $93,438 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks it #108 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mechanical Engineering follows at $86,999, ranked #174 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions, while The Accounting program graduates 122 students and posts median earnings of $83,573. The largest programs beyond Psychology, General include Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (153 graduates, median earnings of $55,778) and Business Administration (149 graduates, median earnings of $73,176). The Computer Science program graduates 132 students with median earnings of $93,438 four years after enrollment. Several of these applied-business and health-adjacent fields feed directly into regional workforce demand, while programs like Nursing (166 graduates) represent pathways where four-year earnings may undercount lifetime trajectory for graduates who continue to graduate or professional study. For context on how [Azimuth evaluates programs](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/), see the methodology overview. ```